Hop on the Plains Train

Im always regretting the outings Ive blown off for no good reason, especially those opportunities for the otherworldly experiences one can have on a single tank of gas. This summer, for instance, I never did travel the back roads of Our Journey, a day-long self-guided tour of small towns on Colorados central plains, even though I planned to. And here it is, Labor Day weekend already.

But you know what? Theres no time like the present. The holiday weekend adds a celebratory feather in this low-key tours cap, and I can still go online to bag my free ticket to thirteen museums and unique rural attractions  though it might be too late to also order up the Our Journey kit there, which includes a fact book, map and even a book of family-friendly road songs. And then I can commence on a pioneer-worthy expedition that might include the Worlds Wonder View Tower in Genoa or Grampa Jerrys Clown Museum in Arriba, toot my horn at the Limon Heritage Museum and Railroad Park or take a spin on the hand-carved Kit Carson County Carousel in Burlington. To boot, the burg of Kit Carson is celebrating  what else?  Kit Carson Day, with a barbecue, duck race, parade and more, while the aforementioned Limon Railroad Park will throw an ice cream social and pops concert tonight at 6 p.m. And tomorrow in Simla, one could ostensibly hit a free hamburger fry in the park, with homey activities and vendor booths.

You really dont know Colorado until youve explored her eastern reaches; for more information on the Our Journey tour, log on to www.ourjourney.info or call 1-800-825-0208.
June 1-Sept. 2, 2008